Floor and process of laying floor



Get. 6, 1925 A. C. DENNING;

moon AND PROCESS 01 LAYING moons Filed June 18, 1921 V llllll IllIlllllllllllllllllllllll! lllllllllllllll lWlililiWVlllllllilllll unmnmmm |i|1|||||||| lllllllllilllliili iinli liiiil iiiliii amvemtoz AnselCZDeMaM 3511 his a t/$014401 q l Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANSEL C. DENNING, OF JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK; WORKERS TRUST COMPANY, AD-

MINISTRATOR OF SAID ANSEL C. DENNING, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO ENDICOTTJOHNSON CORPORATION, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed June 18, 1921. Serial No. 478,623.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANSEL C. DENNING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Johnson City, New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Floors and Processes of Laying Floors, of which thefollowing is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to floors or pavements and has-for its generalobject to effect improvements both in floor or pavement construction, inmaterials employed in floor and pavement construction and in processesof assembling and laying floors or pavements. The invention is hereinshown as embodied in a building floor, but it will be understood that inmany of its aspects the invention is applicable to pavements as well asto floors and that the invention is not restricted to the embodiment oruses herein specifically illustrated and described.

A- particular object of the invention is a fioor construction which willpermit the convenient use of compositions of vegetable or animal fibreor mixtures of such fibres in such manner as to obtain the greatestbenefit from the peculiar characteristics of such compositions withrespect to durability, elasticity, non-conductivity of heat andelectricity, sound-deadening qualities, etc.

An important feature of the invention is the construction of a fibrefloor. from fibrous sheet material in such manner that the fibres aresubstantially on end. Another important feature is the simple means forassembling and holding the strips of sheet material in assembledrelation to facilitate the laying of the floor and the maintenance ofthe strips in proper abutting relation to each other. Still otherimportant features of the invention are the novel means and the novelprocess by which the improved floor is laid with the lateral pressurethroughout its area substantially uniform. Other objects and advantagesof the inven-' tion will appear from the following description andclaims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich- I Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of block'or'sectionwhich may be employed in constructing the novel floor of the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the mode of assembling the fibresections to form a block such as is shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a block with the fibre strips heldtogether under predetermined pressure;

Fig. 4 is a sectional viewthrough a ortion of a floor having a woodenunder oor for supportmg the fibre floor, showing the mode of staplingthe fibre floor sections to the floor support;

Fig. 5 is'aview illustrating the manner of toe-nailing the exposed endof a block or section before releasing the strips from the action of themeans by which the predetermined pressure has been bottled up in theblock or section;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the mode of attaching theblocks or sections when a concrete under-floor or support is used;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a floor embodying the present invention; and nFig. 8 is a View of another form of block or section made substantiallyin accordance with the disclosure in my co-pending application SerialNumber 414,461, filed October 4th, 1920, of which application thepresent application is in part a continuation. I

' As hereinabove suggested, the floor or pavement of the presentinvention is formed of fibrous material, preferably of artificialcompositions or mixtures of animal or vegetable fibres or of both, andto provide a construction having high-wear-resisting qualities thefibres are preferably arranged, so far as possible, on end. According tothe present invention, this arrangement of the fibres is obtained byformingthe floor of strips of fibrous sheet material, such, for example,as sheet material formed upon a cylinder wet machine after the manner ofpaper making, the strips being cut from the sheet transversely to therun of the original sheet and being arranged in the floor in abuttingrelation, edge up. Inasmuch as a fibre sheet formed in this manner hasthe great majority of its fibres arranged lengthwise of the sheet, itwill be obvious that in the resultant floor most of the fibres will beon end.

In the illustrated embodlment of the mvention, the floor blocks orsections 2, one of which is shown in perspective in Fig. 1' of thedrawings, are preferably composed of strips 3 of fibrous sheet material,which are punched or died out in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, from asheet of fibre board of suitable com osition, each of these strips beingprovide with transverse openings to receive rods 4, upon which they arethreaded, each of the illustrated strips 3 having three openings andeach of the sections 2 being provided with three of the rods 4. In orderto confine the stri s 3 upon the rods 4, each rod is preferably providedat one end with a head 6 which may, in itself, belarge enough to serveas an abutment for the endmost strip at one end of the block or section2, or WhlOll may confine a washer 8 in position to retain the endmostsection 3. upon the rod.

The desired number of strips to form a block or section 2 having beenstrung upon the rods 4, the strips are pressed together lengthwise ofthe rods by any suitable means for imparting thereto a predeterminedpressure, and while subjected to this predetermined pressure, cotterpins 10 are passed through holes in the rods 4, so located with respectto the endmost strip at the end of the block or section remote from thehead 6 of the rod as to lock the strips together under the predeterminedpressure; in other words, to bottle up the compression putupon theblock. Suitable dimensions for a block of the construction described mayvary considerably, but very successful results have been obtained withblocks 28." long by 16" wide and thick held together by three rods, eachof diameter and spaced substantially as shown in the drawings.

The blocks or sections formed in the manner herein shown and the abovedescribed are laid on a suitable supporting under-floor in the mannernow to be described. In Fig. 4 is shown a floor made in accordance withthe present in vention laid upon a wooden under-floor 12, in which caseno especial provision need be made for attaching the floor of thepresent invention to the under-floor. In Fig. 6 is shown a concreteunder-floor 14 having inserted therein wooden strips 16 so located thatthey will be beneath the rods 4 of the blocks or sections 2. whereby thestaples 18 or other means used to secure the blocks or sections 2 to theunder-floor may be driven into these strips 16.

In laying the floor. it is important to secure substantially uniformlateral pressure throughout the floor and particularly pressurelengthwise of the rods 4, and to this end the bottling up of thepredetermined pressure imparted to the strips 3. by the insertion of thecotter pins '10 through the rods 4 ontributes. It is also important topro vide for possible expansion or shrinkage, particularly the latter,of the strips 3 in the planes of the strips to revent warping orbuckling of the floor. s above suggested, the cotter pins 10 are solocated as to confine thestrips 3 upon the rods 4 under predeterminedpressure and when a block or section is laid in position on theunder-floor, it is toe-nailed in i the manner shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings, the nails 20 used in toe-nailing the block or section beingdriven into that end of the block adjacent to the cotter pins 10, thestrips 3 being thus held together by the toe nails .20 either under thesame predetermined pressure as that imparted to them before theinsertion of the cotter pins 10 or, if desired, under a slightlyincreased pressure-produced by the toe-nailing operation. The end of theblock having been toe-nailed in the manner described, the staples 18 arepreferably then driven in position between the strips 3 so as tostraddle the rods 4, a suitable number of staples in a block of thedimensions hereinabove set forth being three to each rod. To provide forthe shrinkage or expansion of the strips 3 hereinabove referred to, thestaples 18 are preferably of a width somewhat greater than the diameterof the rods 4, for example, a staple may be used with a rod, thusproviding a movement of the rod of substantially 2;" in eitherdirection. The rods thus being held at a predetermined distance from theunder-floor and being free to move slightly to either side with theshrinkage or expansion of the strips, liability to buckling,

or warping of the blocks after laying, is substantially eliminated.

The block or section 2 having been toenailed and stapled in the mannerdescribed, the ends of the rods 4 having the cotter pins 10 therein maybe clipped ofi', thus permitting the next block or section 2 toabutcloselv against the end of the block already laid. The projection ofthe head 6 and washer 8 be yond the other end of the block is so slightthat it is covered in the slight overhang of the adjacent strips 3 ofthe abutting blocks.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 8 of the drawin s, whichisthe form illustrated and specifically claimed in my co-pendingapplication hereinabove identified, the sections 3 are threaded uponwooden strips or splines 22 of'dove-tail shape in cross section andfitting into correspondingly shaped openings notched into the lower aedges of the strips 3. In this form of the invention the predeterminedpressure is bottled up in the blocks or sections by binding have-beennailed or otherwise attached to the under-floor. It will be noted thatboth the block or section shown in Fig. 8 and those shown in Figs. 1, 2,3, 4 and 6 are formed ofi strips, each of which has the upper corner ateach end slightly overhanging from the lower corner, thus permittingsuch abutting of the sides of the blocks as will insure a continuousfloor surface.

A suitable block for carrying out the invention in a somewhat modifiedform may be made as follows. The sheet of fibrous material from whichthe strips 3 to form the block are to be died or punched is first coatedon one side WVlth a suitable binder, for

example h'linwax, which is thern'loplastic or rods for holding the fibrestrips together.

. sirable waterproof qualities being obtained- If a more evenpenetration of the thermoplastic binder through the strips 3 is desired,the block'formed in the manner above set forth may be subjected tofurther pressure in the presence of heat. Moreover, the blocks thusformed may be laid without nailing to the under-floor, if desired, aparticularly efi'eotive floor constructionhaving debyusing some of thesame thermoplastic binder for cementing the blocks to the under floor.

It will be understood, of course, that the composition of the fibresheet from which the strips-3 are formed may vary considerably.according'to the requirements of the floorto, be constructed therefrom,and that "the dimensions of the blocks, particularly the" thickness ofthe floor, may also vary from; those above given.

1' com osition from which floors of-thetype' herein described have beenmade for factory use and which havesuccessfully met the conditions ofsuch use, is 'one in which about 20% of chrome leather has been combinedwith mixed papers and treated in a beating engine and formed into asheet upon a cylinder-wet machine after the manner of papermaking.

What I claim as new is:

1. Flooring comprising strips of fibrous material standing in abuttingrelation, edge up but unattached to each other, rods passing freelythrough said strips and substantially confining them againstdisplacement in the strip plane, said flooring being substantially freeto expand lengthwise of said A suitable. ,fibre I {or}; and transverseto the strip plane when 2. A floor block or section formed of individualstrips of sheet material standing in abutting relation edge up and boundtogether under predetermined pressure but otherwise unconnected witheach other;

3. A floor block or section, comprising individual strips of sheetmaterial standing in abutting relation, edge up, rods passing throughsaid strips and upon which said strips are confined against movementtransverse to the plane of the block, but upon which they are movabletransverse to their own planes, said strips being otherwise unconnectedwith each other, and means on said rods for confining said stripsthereon under predetermined pressure 4. A floor block comprisingindividual strips of sheet material arranged on edge in abuttingrelation but not directly connected to each other, and transverse stripsconfining said first mentioned strips against relative movement in thestrip plane but upon which said first mentioned strips are slidable in adirection normal to the strip plane.

5. A floor blocker section comprising individual strips of sheetmaterial standing on edge in abutting relation but not directlyconnected to each other, transverse strips confining said firstmentioned strips against movement in the strip plane, but upon whichsaid first mentioned strips are slidable in a direction normal tothestrip plane, and means binding saidstrips of sheet material togetherunder a predetermined pressure normal to the strip lane.

6. A flooring bloc: comprising strips of fibrous sheet materialassembled 1n abutting relation, edge up, under pressure, and means forconfining said strips in such assembled condition comprisingrods passingthrough said strips and having provision at their ends for retainingthereon the endmost strips, said confining means being adapted to befreed atone end when laying the floor, thereby permittin eztpansion ofthe assemblage by the store -up pressure and producing a tight jointbetween succeeding blocks "in the direction in which the rods extend,

while the alinement of the sections is maintained by -said rods.

7. A floor formedof strips of sheet material standing in abuttingrelation edge up and having transverse connecting strips with which saidfirst mentioned strips are interlocked against relative movement in thestrip plane, said first mentioned strips being otherwise unconnectedwith each other, and a support for said floor to which said transversestrips are connected.

' 8. floor formed of strips of sheet material standing in abuttingrelation, edge up, rods passing through said strips and by which saidstrips are held against movement in the strip plane and staplesstraddling said rods and serving to attach said floor to its support.

9. A floor formed of strips of sheet material standing in abuttingrelation, edge up, rods passing through said strips and by which saidstrips are held against movement in the strip plane, and means forattaching said rods to the support for the floor, said means providingfor a limited transverse movement of said rods tov provide for expansionand contraction of the floor in a direction transverseto the rods. 7 p

10. The process of'preparing and laying a floor of the characterdescribed, which consists in binding under uniform pressure normal tothe strip plane blocks formed of strips of sheet material standing inabutting relation edge up, laying these blocks to form a section offloor and then releasing the strips from the action of the bindingmeans.

11. The process of preparing and laying a floor of the characterdescribed which consists in binding, under uniform pressure normal tothe strip plane, blocks formed of strips of sheet material standing inabutting relation, edge up, laying the block thus formed to form asection of the floor, toenailing the exposed end of the block'thus laidto maintain the predetermined pressure and then releasing the stripsfrom the action of the binding means.

12. The process of making a floor, which consists informing units byassembling narrow strips of sheet material face to face edge up underpressure transverse to the strip plane, temporarily confining theassembled units, assembling a plurality-0f such units to cover the floorarea and then relea'sing the confining means to permit the pressure toequalize itself among the units.

13. The process of making a fioor, which consists in assembling stripsupon a trans-- verse rod or rods, confining-the assemblage underpressure by means of the rods to form a floor unit, associating other.units therewith and finally relieving the confined pressure after theassociated units are as sembled to allow partial expansion for closingthe joints between adjacent units. igned at Johnson City, N. Y. this 16'day of June 1921.

ANSEL C. DENNING.

